The Other Final Choice
by Malgrain
Summary: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING OF LIFE IS STRANGE! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! - Alright, with that out of the way, lets get down to business! This starts off as a short prequel to 'The Final Choice', but turns into another story about halfway through. For now this is a one-shot, but if the feedback is good, I -will- consider making this an actual story! Enjoy!
1. I Choose You

**A/N - SO! People asked me to make a second version of 'The Final Choice' as well. This one won't be quite as good as the first, and I'm super thankful of all the fantastic feedback I've been given on the original. :3 - Let me start off by saying this actually works, to a point, as a prequel to 'The Final Choice', leading up to the point of Max going back. But it takes a different turn after that. ALSO, if people enjoy this, this very well might be the first chapter in a continuous story about what happens to Max and Chloe after the Storm. For now this is a one-shot, however! Let me know your thoughts and if you would like to see this one continue. Hope you enjoy!**

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" Max? Max, can you hear me? Please, say something! " Chloe shouted as Max fell to her knees with a gasp, snapping out of her nightmare-filled state. " Chloe? I.. I must have passed out.. Sorry. " Max responded slowly as she pushed herself to her feet, still recovering from the shock. " I swear.. but that nightmare was so real, was so horrible.. " Max stated with a shaky voice, her gaze drifting to the massive tornado heading for town.

" Oh my god.. It... It is actually here, isn't it? It felt so real in my dreams. - My visions, but.. It's actually here. ..This is my storm, Chloe. I caused this. I caused -all- of this! I changed fate and destiny so much that.. I actually did alter the course of.. the course of -everything-! " Max shouted as tears began to roll down her cheeks, mixing with the ran. She took a step back and turn to look at Chloe, frowning darkly. " All I really created was.. just death and destruction. This is all my fault, Chloe.. I shouldn't of played with time, I shouldn't ha-.. "

" Fuck all that, okay?! You were given this power, you didn't ask for it. And.. and you saved me, which had to happen. All of this did.. So you're not the goddamn Time Master, but you're Maxine Caulfield, and you are -amazing-! You hear me? " Chloe shouted in response, cutting Max off as she moved forward to rest her shaky hands on Max's shoulders.

" What.. What are we going to do, Chloe? Everyone.. everyone is going to die. " Max muttered softly, turning to gaze at the massive tornado once more. Chloe took in a slow, shaky breath, staring at the fear-filled face Max had. She knew what was needed. What had to happen to fix this all, to save the town. She expected it for a while now, with everything that had happened up to this point.. But she didn't want to accept it, and neither did Max. But they had to now.

" ..Max, there is a way. " She muttered, almost whispering as she brought a hand down into her jacket pocket, pulling the butterfly photo out and offering it towards Max. " You.. You could use that photo to change everything back to when you took that picture. Back to when you first used your powers.. All- All you have to do is not use them. To not change time.. All you have to do is-.. is.. " Chloe closed her eyes, holding in the tears as she struggled to say what needed to be said.

" Fuck that! " Max shouted, pulling the photograph from Chloe's hands. " No.. no way am I doing that! You are my number one priority now. You are all that matters to me, Chloe. " Max responded almost instantly, the thought of having to.. to do that was too much. Not after all they have been through, not after.. " I know. You proved that over and over again.. Even though I don't deserve it. Don't deserve you. I'm.. I'm so selfish, Max. Not like my mom. Look what she has had to give up and live through for me. What she -will- live through, for me. She deserves -so much- more than to be killed by a storm in a fucking diner! E- Even my step.. father, deserves her to be alive, Max. There's so many more people in Arcadia Bay that deserve to live.. That deserve more than this, way more than me. " Chloe stated firmly, though hiding the shakiness in her voice was almost impossible, and the sadness of her words was beyond impossible to hide. She didn't want to die.. But she knew what needed to happen to save the people she cares about.

" Don't say that, Chloe! I won't trade you. " Max shouted in return, a hint of anger in her tone at even considering to trade Chloe. Chloe was worth more than that. She deserved far more than that. " You're not trading me! Don't you see?.. You.. - We, are just delaying my destiny. I was meant to die in that bathroom, Max. We have to fucking accept that now! " Chloe turned to face Max more directly, the tears running down her cheeks barely noticeably through the freezing raindrops that joined them. " Look at how many times I have died or almost died around you. - Look at what's happened to Arcadia Bay ever since you first saved me. I have to die to fix this, Max! This is beyond us. Both of us. I know I've been selfish, but for once I think I should accept my fate.. our fate.. " Chloe continued, stepping closer to Max to grab her shoulders once more, giving them a gentle squeeze.

" Max, you finally came back to me this week, and.. and you did nothing but show me your love and friendship. You made me smile and laugh, like I haven't done in -years-. Wherever I end up after this.. in whatever reality.. I will -always- love you. " Chloe whispered softly, leaning in close to press their foreheads together. Max stared into her bright blue hues while Chloe stared back, and for a short moment, she got lost in them. Max brought her arms up, wrapping them around Chloe in a gentle, loving embrace as she brought her cold lips in to meet with Chloe's own, pulling the bluenette into a tender kiss.

Chloe's gaze widened at this, but unlike last time they kissed she didn't pull away. - Instead she pushed into it, squeezing Max close within her arms as their lips met and Chloe deepened the kiss. She wasn't going to make the same mistake as last time. - She was going to enjoy this, every moment of it she could. She focused all of her attention on Max, and for the first time this week she felt truly, completely at peace, the chill of the rain burning away within the warmth of their hug. But, she knew it couldn't last, and after a few drawn-out seconds of peace they parted, but stayed close, staring into each others eyes.

" All those moments between us were real, and they will -always- be ours, Max.. No matter what. " Chloe whispered, leaning into Max's palm as the younger teen brought her hand up to caress Chloe's reddened cheek. " I love you too, but Chloe.. I can't make this choice. " She whispered in return, her voice cracking under the weight of it all as the woman she loved pulled her in against her chest, hugging her close. " No, Max.. You're the only one who can. " Chloe whispered as she tilted her head down, pressing her face into the darkened locks of Max's hair, taking in the younger girl's scent for what was likely the final time.

" Chloe.. I'm so sorry, I don't want to do this.. " Max whispered, taking a step away from Chloe. The older teen flashed her a soft, sad smile, lightly nodding. " I know, Max.. Being together this week, it was the best farewell gift I could have hoped for. You're my hero, Max. And you always will be. " Chloe took a step back as well, raising her hands to brush away the tears with her palms. " Now, get out of here, please.. Do it before I freak. " Chloe whispered, watching as Max silently nodded and turned towards the tornado.

She stepped closer, staring down at the photo that started it all. She hated with photo, so much.. But she knew what she had to do. And she knew what she couldn't do. She wasn't sure what was going to come after this. - She wasn't even sure if they were going to be alive tomorrow, or the day after.. She had no idea what was going to happen next, but she knew it was worth it, for the person she would trade the world for.

Chloe stayed back, not trusting her selfish self to not stop Max from doing what needed to be done. She watched as the younger teen, who had been through so much more in a week than anyone should in a lifetime, approached the cliff's edge, staring down at the photo that started all of this. Fucking photo. She was happy she got to spend the week with Max, at least, even if she wouldn't remember it.. Her best friend in the entire world and beyond, and the girl she loved since she was only a tween. Fate was the bitch that got between them, but they made it to the end. She took in a slow, shaky breath, speaking for what felt like the final time. " And Caulfield. Don't you forget about m-.. "

She cut herself off, mouth hanging open. She heard it, even over the screaming winds she could hear the rip, like a tear in time itself. Her eyes widened in disbelief and shock as she saw Max release the two ripped halves of the picture that was going to save the town, and watched as they floated off into the storm. " M-.. Max..? " She whispered shakily, taking a wobbly step towards the smaller girl.

" I'm sorry, Chloe.. But I guess I decided a world without Chloe Price isn't a worth worth living in. " She stated softly, hiding the shakiness of her tone, the weight of making such a choice bearing down on her. She turned to face the bluenette, flashing her a soft, sad smile. " You are the most important person in the world to me. -You- are all that matters to me.. " Max continued, motioning towards the tornado. " All of this.. All of it is worth it if it means I get to spend even another day by your side. And I don't know what will come after this, I don't know how.. fucked up things will be, but I know it is worth it. It always will be, Chloe. It always has been. " Max finished, taking a hesitant step towards Chloe, who still stared her down in shock.

" Bu-.. But Max.. all of those people. M- Mom.. Waldo, Kate? Even fucking.. fucking Vic-dick deserves to survive this. The- They can't die for me, Max. It's not their place! " Chloe spoke softly at first, but began to shout as she took a step towards Max. " How- how do you expect me to live knowing all of those people had to die for me? How do you fuc-... " She stopped herself, her rant coming to an end as she felt cold, yet strong arms wrap around her, holding her in an embrace. She looked down at the crying brunette, rubbing her tear-streaked cheek against Chloe's already soaked shirt.

Max.. Max did.. Max gave up everything, everyone for me. She went through this entire, crazy week for me. She has had my back through it all, and here I am, shouting at her for making what could be the hardest choice she has had to make this entire week. ..All for me. Chloe had lost herself in her thoughts, gently bringing her longer arms around Max to return her hug. She tilted her head down, taking in the scent of the girl she loved for the second time, a chance she never expected to have. She allowed her gaze to drift past Max, to the tornado currently tearing through Arcadia.. She knew this was going to be hard. Moving past this was.. was going to be close to, if not impossible.. But the choice had been made. Max chose her, over safety, over the town, over the world.. She chose her. And as much as it hurt her to admit it, to admit that she was even partially happy about this choice, she was touched. Truly, truly touched.

" I- I'm so- so sorry, Chl- Chloe.. " Max stuttered through her tears, fearful of losing her closest friend because of her selfish choice. " I know I've been.. I- I know I am the worst friend in the world, leaving you.. and then coming back and causing all of this, bu-.. But please, don't leave me.. I need you.. " She whispered the last few words out, barely about to speak as she cried into Chloe's shirt. Chloe just held her tighter, nuzzling against the top of the younger girl's head, trying to comfort her. " Max.. Oh, oh Max.. " Chloe was crying herself, now. So much devotion, so much love.. She knew she didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve any of it. - She didn't even deserve this week.. But Max was here, holding her now and she wasn't going to ruin that. She slid down onto her knees in the dirt, pulling Max along with her, bringing the brunette face-to-face with her. " Max.. I'll always be with you.. And I will always love you. No matter what.. " Chloe whispers to her crying friend, holding her as close as she possibly could. She needed this.. this comfort. Both of them did.

Max just continued to cry, holding onto Chloe's jacket like her life depended on it. This was the end, and the beginning.. A new chapter in their lives. Neither of them knew what was going to come of this choice. Would fate come for them, like it had here? Would time chase them until Chloe met her end? Would they ever be able to move past this. - All of this death and destruction? Only time would tell, and out of all of those questions, only one real answer was given.

" We will be together.. Always. "


	2. Not So Cozy

**A/N - Annnnd it's out! I got further chapters planned as well, if people enjoy this. Let me know what you all think and if you think I should continue! Hope you enjoy. - Also, just a heads up, this -has- been reread and spell checked but mistakes are always possible. Let me know if you spot something!**

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The night had been quiet. Today had been.. silent. The two took refuge near the Lighthouse until the storm had finally blew over, and made their way to Chloe's truck the second they had the chance. Luckily the old beater had survived the storm somehow, giving them safe passage through the ruins of what was left.

They had been driving for a good few minutes now, no speaking, no sounds. They were both at a loss, broken up after what was done the night before. All the destruction, all of the deaths.. All for them. Neither of them had anything to say just yet. Neither of them even knew what to say. In a way, they both blamed their self for what happened. All of these people died so that Chloe could live, and she didn't feel like she deserved that. So many of these people were better than her, and didn't deserve to die in a storm while she rides away into the sunset with her hero. Max, on the other hand, put all the blame on herself. She chose this. - It all came down to her, the final choice, and she chose Chloe. She didn't regret it, even though a part of her felt like she should. That she shouldn't be okay with sacrificing an entire town for one person. And she wasn't okay with that, and she probably never would be. But.. she couldn't live with the alternative. She couldn't accept that. - Even if it was selfish, she couldn't. Chloe was worth all of this. But, that didn't make it any easier. She killed these people. She let this happen, and she had to live with that knowledge. Knowing she could have saved everyone. ..Almost everyone.

The silence continued for quite some time, but, luckily Max managed to break it. " The school.. " Max murmurs with a hoarse, sore throat, a mixture of being out in the storm all night and crying.

" The school? What about it? " Chloe asks, her voice matching the hoarse-ness of Max's, but with a bit more focus than the girl beside her. Max looked tired, out of it. She had been through a lot more than Chloe had yesterday, or.. even this entire week. She deserved some rest. " We need to stop there. " Max added, still being rather vague. Chloe frowned, lightly shaking her head. " Why? What does Blackhell have to offer us, we've had a shitty fucking night already. " Chloe stated, sounding a little more agitated than she would have liked.

Max's thin frown darkened, but she continued nonetheless. " The money, Chloe. The.. fuck, the handicapped fund, remember? We.. we aren't going to get far without cash and there is no way to get any here now that.. " She trailed off, glancing out the window that she had been avoiding through most of this trip. She watched as they drove past the ruined buildings, the bodies scattered about. Some didn't even look injured, but.. they were dead. And it was her fault.

Chloe's frown darkened as well, when Max didn't continue. She knew what she was going to say, but decided against adding to it. " Right.. I- I guess you're right. Do you think it is even still there? A part of me kinda hopes not. That place needed to go down. " Chloe stated with a bit of bite in her tone, and Max lightly nodded in response. " I don't know, honestly.. But some of these buildings look pretty intact, all things considered. We at least need to look. - There could even be.. survivors, you know? " Max glanced back over towards Chloe, her voice dying out into a soft whisper of hope for survivors. The place was too quiet.

" Yeah.. I mean, people have got to be somewhere, right? This place is hella too quiet. - We don't get tornados around here more than a few times a year, at most, but most people have some type of storm shelter, right? Where the fuck are they? " Chloe asked, obviously a little worried at the lack of life in the town. The tornado was huge, but people should have survived, right? At least a few..

Max rolled her shoulders, glancing out the window again. " I.. I don't know, Chloe. I mean, before the storm hit there was.. already a lot of death happening, you know? Like, with the birds, whales.. There was no reason for them to just die like that. Maybe this is.. similar. " Max stated, growing quiet towards the end. She didn't want it to be true, but there was definitely something wrong. Chloe sighed, nodding in response. " ..Maybe. Le- Let's just focus on getting to Blackhell for now though, right? These roads are hella fucking nasty now. " Chloe suggested, chewing on the inside of her bottom lip at the thought of people just.. dropping dead. That is beyond scary. How do you run from shit like that?

Max just nodded again, going silent once more. She closed her eyes, trying to rest for even a moment as the two made their way through the broken, dead town. It wasn't long before Chloe pulled up into what used to be Blackwell's parking lot. It was intact, all things considered, but still a complete mess. Quite a bit of the school had collapsed in on itself during the storm, cars and debris buried deep within the ruined bricks of what it once was. There were.. There were even bits of dead whales mixed into the sickening debris.

Max had opened her eyes when they came to a slow stop, eyeing the damage done to the school with wide, sad eyes. This was all on her. She caused this, and who knows how many people died inside of there.. strangers, friends.. Hell, even if they had got out in time, would they have survived? This storm was far from normal, after all. However, almost to the disappointment of the two, enough of the school still stood that they might, just maybe, be able to get in and get what they need. ..Even though it still felt beyond wrong stealing the money, from the ruins of the school they destroyed nonetheless.

Both sighed, knowing what they needed to do next. They pushed the old beater's doors open and slipped out of the truck, giving the area a quick lookover for any survivors, any at all, before making their way onto the campus. " This place has never been so quiet.. " Max murmured sadly, getting a much closer look at all of the destruction. " It feels so.. dead, so lifeless. The- There were people here just yesterday, you know? Hell, even last night.. It was so normal. Just another shitty day. An- And now look at this. Look at what I.. " Max trailed off, her eyes widening slightly as she was suddenly pulled into a strong hug.

" No, Max. Don't you dare finish that fucking sentence, you hear me? This.. This isn't on you. Don't you ever try to put this all on yourself. We are here. Together, and we are going to share this weight. I'm not going to let you fall. Never. " Chloe stated firmly, staring into Max's darkened hues as the younger girl stared back. She slowly nodded her head, leaning into Chloe. " O-.. Okay. I won't, I promise.. " Max murmured, nuzzling into Chloe's still damp clothing from the night before. " ..I'm sorry.. " She whispered, receiving only a stronger hug in response.

After taking a moment to simply hold each other, they decided it was time to move out. They moved through the campus, doing their best to avoid looking towards the mixture of death and debris spread about. A body here and there, dead birds, even whales this far into the city. The smell wasn't too bad yet, but it was going to be. They both let out a drawn-out, sad sigh of relief when they saw that the entrance to the school still stood, and looked sturdy enough that they weren't going to be crushed just by entering it.

" Not even a fucking time-tornado could tear this place down.. Fucking Blackhell. " Chloe grumbled, crossing her arms as they moved towards the shattered glass doors. " The creepy-bird office isn't too far in, so.. We might just be in luck, Caulfield. " Chloe stated with the first real hint of joy in her tone since this all happened, but it was still light, almost unnoticeable.

Max nodded, flashing a thin, forced smile as they slowly moved through the doors, careful not to bump into anything that looked unstable. The winds tearing through the school left it quite a mess, but considering the town was almost gone, that was quite a feat. Max moved towards the door leading to Wells' office, while Chloe stayed a few steps behind. " Hey, uh.. Maxie. " Chloe spoke up, her voice more quiet than usual, still sore.

Max turned her head, blinking. " Yeah, Che? " She asked curiously, tilting her head. " You try getting into that office and I'll.. I'll go look for any survivors, 'kay? I won't go far, and we can check the dorms after. Sound good? " She asked softly, her arms still wrapped around her front. Max blinked again, but after a moment she nodded. " Oh- Yeah, go ahead. Just don't wander far, al- alright? " Max asked in return, getting a nod from Chloe before the two split up.

Max moved to the door, which still looked sturdy enough even after all of this destruct. The storm could have -at least- broke the door down, right..? Max shook her head and huffed quietly, looking around for something that she could bust the handle with. She got into Nathan's door this way, so why not here?

While Max was doing that, Chloe was off searching the halls that still had some type of light source. " Heeey? Anyone here? " Chloe shouted, coughing after putting more strain on her voice than she should have. " ..Annnnyone? We- We are alive and shit. We can help you! " Chloe continued, her voice becoming.. almost desperate for an answer. People had to be alive, right? Somebody. Anybody.. " IS ANYONE IN HERE?! " Chloe shouted as loud as she could, hearing her voice echo through the empty halls. She waited, listened, but heard nothing in return. Her frown darkened and, after a short wait, she turned to rejoin Max.

Max had managed to find something heavy enough to bash the door with. A chunk of the building had fell in, a little heavier than she would have liked, but she didn't have the right to be picky now. She had already been picky. Selfish, even. She shook the thought out of her head as soon as it began to poke back through, deciding to focus on the job at hand instead of dwelling on.. on what she did. She brought the chunk of concrete up, bashing the door handle once, then twice, before shattering the already cracked chunk with a third bash, managing to bust up the door handle quite badly. She tossed what was left of the stone off to the side, brushing her hands off on her jeans before stepping forward to test the door again, slamming her shoulder into it just hard enough to push it open.

She stumbled in, looking around the darkened room. Thank dog.. Nobody was in here. Nobody is dead in here, at least. She slowly stepped forward, heading for the desk covered in messy paper. The room was intact, amazingly so. They must have some luck after all.. Max wasted little time looking around. - She was a snoop, but this wasn't the time and she had already been in here once before. ..No, twice. After Kate almost died..

Max leaned on the desk, allowing her mind to wander. She's dead now. She.. she was in a hospital, getting better and.. and now she is dead, like everyone else. She was recovering, she was smiling again.. we fucking found the shithead who put her on that roof in the first place. And.. now she is gone, and she will never know that. Tears begin to roll down Max's tired face, and she almost lost herself in her thoughts before suddenly being pulled back into reality as her beautiful blue tree came up from behind her, resting a hand on her shoulder. " I couldn't find anyone, Maxie. How goes shit in he-.. Max? Shit, are you alright? "

Chloe gently pulled the younger girl around to face her, staring down into her darkened, puffy hues. " Max.. We are going to get through this. We are going to get the fuck out of dodge, and we- "

" ..So many people, Chloe. So.. fucking many. Th- Think about Kate. She almost jumps off a fucking roof, and then ends up getting killed by.. by a.. " She sucked in a hard breath through her tears, leaning into Chloe. " M- My storm, Chloe.. What if, what if we missed something? What if I missed something, I - I could have done something.. an- anything.. "

" MAX! Stop. Just.. just fucking stop, okay? You did what you fucking could. We- we both di.. " She cut herself off. She could have done more. It was her fault, not Max's. Max is just another victim of this mess, except she has to live through it. " You did.. everything you could. I believe in you, Max. I always have and I always will. Now lets.. Lets get the fucking cash and g- go. We.. we should check the house, Two Whales, and.. uh.. I- Fuck, uh. " She stuttered, shaking her head. " We will figure it out. Come on, Max. " She stated more firmly, moving around the desk.

Max sniffled, stepping away from Chloe as she began to move. She would have continued, ranted more, but.. Chloe didn't deserve that. She didn't deserve to deal with her ranting, not right now at least. Not here. She just nodded, watching Chloe slid into what was deemed as the 'Cozy Chair' before pulling out the drawer with the money luckily still stashed away inside. A look of relief crossed Chloe's face at the sight, and she quickly retrieved it, stashing the envelope into her jacket. " Five thousand.. Five thousand is what we got to get out of here. That's enough, right? " Chloe asked, and Max nodded.

" We.. we can get pretty far on that. Now le- Let's go. " Max brushed away a few stray tears with her sleeves, turning for the exit without another word. Chloe blinked, then quickly nodded. " Yeah, lets.. " Her voice trailed off, as she moved to get out of the chair. " He- Hey, uh.. Maxaroon? " Chloe murmured, almost shyly. The brunette turned at the door, looking back at Chloe. " ..Hm? "

" Y- You know, it.. it would be a shame just to leave the chair, right? I mean.. It doesn't look too heavy, and we got the truck, and.. " Chloe trailed off, frowning. " ..No, nevermind. We don't got time for that, I'm being a hella fucking ass. - Lets go. " She quickly nodded, pushing out of the chair only to pause when Max lightly shook her head. The brunette actually managed a smile. it was thin, but.. it wasn't faked. It was genuine, and that was enough for her. " ..Yes Chloe, we can take the cozy chair. " She murmured in response.

They would work through this. They.. they would find a way, but it would take time. That smile, that thin, genuine smile on Max's face proved that. But they needed to get the fuck out of this place first.


End file.
